Home NodeB (HNB) is a small base station with low power and deployed inside premises such as houses, offices, etc. The main function of HNB is to provide higher service rates for the subscribers and reduce fees needed when using high-rate servings, and at the same time to make up the blackout points in the existing distributed cellular wireless communication coverage. A HNB subscriber is connected into a core network (CN) via a HNB access network (HNB AN), wherein the HNB AN consists of a HNB and a HNB gateway (HNB GW). The HNB GW mainly executes the following functions: verifying security of the HNB, processing registration and access control of the HNB, and being responsible for exchanging data between the core network and the HNB. A HNB management system (HMS) performs running maintenance management to the HNB, configures and controls the HNB according to requirements of operators, and mostly performs the configuration management function for the HNB. The configuration management function includes verification of location information and performing parameter configuration to the HBN, which mainly relates to the parameter configuration of CN level, the parameter configuration at the radio access network (RAN) side, and the parameter configuration of radio frequency (RF). FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the system network structure of the HNB.
With the development of HNB technology, the concept of close subscriber group (CSG) is introduced to perform grouping management to the subscribers. With the introduction of the CSG concept, the HNB correspondingly introduces a concept of cell access mode for the CSG. There are three kinds of CSG HNB access modes: Open access mode, Close access mode, and Hybrid access mode. In this case, an HNB in the Open access mode allows the access of subscribed and non-subscribed users, and there is no difference from a normal macro cell. An HNB in the Close access mode only allows the access of users who have subscribed to this CSG. While an HNB in the Hybrid access mode allows the access of subscribed and non-subscribed users simultaneously, but the subscribed users are superior to the non-subscribed users. And on the premise that the resources are limited, the HNB serves the subscribers prior to the non-subscribed users and may switch the non-subscribed users to other cells or releases their signaling connections.
Consequently, as to those CSG cells in the Hybrid mode, when the access of a terminal (also can be referred to as user equipment, abbreviated as UE) is successful, as a network element implementing access control, the HNB GW or CN needs to inform the HNB of the access identity of the terminal, i.e. identity information of whether it is a subscribed user (or member identity information), so that the HNB can process the subscribers and the non-subscribed users differently. However, as to a terminal having signaling connections, its subscription information may change. As to a terminal supporting CSG, the change of its subscription information will be reflected on both of the core network and the terminal. That is, the change of its subscription information will respectively cause the synchronized updating of the allowed CSG lists stored at the core network side and the terminal side, wherein the allowed CSG lists are used for performing access control to the terminal. As to the situation of the HNB in the Hybrid mode, if the CSG of the subscribed terminal is in the list, then it is deemed that the terminal accesses the HNB as a subscriber, otherwise it accesses the HNB as a non-subscribed user. As to a terminal which does not support CSG, the change of its subscription information is reflected in a corresponding allowed access terminal IMSI list of the HNB to which it subscribes, and the HNB gateway uses this list to perform access control to the terminal. When a terminal which does not support CSG accesses a Hybrid mode HNB, if the IMSI of the terminal is in this list, then it is deemed that the terminal accesses as subscriber, otherwise it accesses as non-subscriber.
The inventors discover that there are at least the following problems in the prior art: the change of the subscription information of a terminal only is reflected on the change of the subscription information content stored in the terminal and HNB gateway or core network, and the HNB is informed of the subscription information of the terminal only when the terminal initially accesses it. However, when the subscription identity of the connected terminal changes, the HNB is unable to timely learn the change and process the terminal according to its new subscription identity. For example, as to a situation that a terminal accesses a Hybrid mode HNB, if the terminal did not subscribe to the CSG to which this HNB belongs when it initially accessed, then it accesses as non-subscriber, and when the terminal is in the connected state and it re-subscribes to this CSG, only its subscription information changes and the HNB which it accesses still processes it as non-subscriber. The same problem still exists after the CSG concept is introduced into the macro base station system.